Germany to Limit Refugees Entering Its Country

After allowing one million refugees to enter Germany over a two-year span, Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of the conservative party have decided to put a cap on the number of refugees entering the country annually.

Some conservative members of Germany's parliament do not like the idea of a cap. An argument often heard from Democratic politicians in the United States when it comes to President Trump's proposals to limit immigration is also being touted in Germany. The conservatives in Germany's parliament opposed to the limit argue such a cap would violate the country's constitution.

The Free Democrats and Greens have over the past sharply rejected demands to set any explicit restriction on refugee numbers, saying this would be in violation of the constitution. Ms. Merkel has previously been skeptical of setting a fixed upper limit.

However, there appears to be a fundamental understanding that Germany's immigration policies need to be reformed as Germany does not want to experience another refugee crisis as it did in 2015.

Jens Spahn, a critic of Merkel and her views on immigration policy, stated:

We have a common understanding that we have to set a limit because we are otherwise overburdening a society.

Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats worked with the Bavarian Christian Social Union and agreed to limit the number of refugees to 200,000 a year. However, that number is not set in stone. If Germany's parliament were to declare another international crisis, more than 200,000 refugees would be allowed to enter.